Sunday, May 3, 2015

BELTAN SURPRISE = RAVENS! FINALLY!!!

Friday, May 1st,  marks the beginning of summer in the Celtic tradition of BELTANE.  This is an
auspicious time when the veil between the fairy world and human kind is thin and magic abounds.  And so it was that a noisy boisterous pair of ravens showed up in my yard after five years of waiting! Perhaps it is because the garden is so beautiful this year.  The sweet peas are fabulous this year.  Grown from seed acquired from Kew Garden- these Sicilian variety of sweet peas have taken to the
California soil and climate. 
Here came the raven pair, soaring, twisting in flight, loud and raucous.  They settled in the redwood trees to talk.  They chased away the resident crows. They hung around most of the day, flying here and there and visiting the Redwood Creek next door.  It was so wonderful to hear their chatter and to see them flying about over the roof and trees.  Why did they come???? Was it Beltane that brought them? Did my recent trip to Ireland to the land of the fairies have any effect??  I thought- this is a one time thing and I better enjoy it and I certainly did.
Yesterday they were back!  They spent most of the day in the redwood trees and flying about.  Chuck put a raw chicken egg out on the ground under the redwood trees.  The raven picked it up- wow!  I put out some peanuts in the shell.  The blue jays were there in a New York minute but I did not see the raven pick any of them up.  Ravens are very suspicious of new foods and will check those peanuts out for awhile before they will approach them.  We put several more eggs out on the ground before we left to go up to Mt Veeder to visit our former neighbors and Bold and Shy ravens.  When we came home the eggs were still there.  We hope that the raven pair will visit again today!  Having them here for two days was raven magic.  I so enjoyed listening to their chatter, hoots and calls.  It was truly music to my ears!